The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-01-05

u
press reversed his engine and spraDg to
the left. The fireman endeavored TO
| get out to the right, but being overcome
| with fright, fell close to his crushed en-
| CINE and was badly burned, but not
| beyond recognition. His body has been
placed in q neat casket and is now at
| the undertaker's at Republic, awaiting
! the arrival of his relatives. There has
been a steady stream of citizens from
all parts of the country going to and
returning from the wreck. =
CLEVELAND, January A special
dispatch to the Leader from Tiffin, o.,
gives the following graphic account of
the collision: One of the most horrible
and heart rending accidents ever ehron-
icled occurred near Republic, about
eight miles east of here, at O'clock this
morning. At O'Clock an east-bound
| freight train in charge of Conductor
Fletcher, pulled ont OF this city, having
received orders to side track at Scipio
to allow the east-bound express TO pass,
After the passenger train had gone, the
conductor being without special order
exercised his OWL judgment, and deter
mined that inasmuch as. he had half an
hour to make the switch at Republic, a
little less than five miles distant, be.
fore the arrival of the fast express from
the east due at that point at 2 O'Clock,
he pulled, out. The night was bitter
cold, and much difficulty was expert
enced in keeping up steam in the en-
CINE. Finally, at a point half mile
west of Republic, the train came to
standstill, being unable to move farther.
Just here was made
THE HORRIBLE MISTAKE ~
which resulted in the loss of so many
lives and the destruction of thousands
of dollars worth of property. Although
the conductor must have known that
he was encroaching dangerously near
the time of the express, he did not send
out signal until mis- train had come to
q standstlll and he found it impossible
to move ia rther. He then started for
ward with the lantern himself. At this
point thereis 8 sharp curve, and Con-
ductor Fletcher had not proceeded
more than the length of twenty cars,
when he saw the headlight of the APP
proaching, u express N, rounding the
curve, not more than forty rods
distant, and running at the lightning
speed of sixty-three miles per hour.
horror stricken with the knowledge
that q fearful accident could not be
averted, he flashed his light in the face
of Engineer Lem Eastman. The latter
at the same moment saw the lights of
the freight engine, and giving a wild
shrek of the whistle for brakes, he re-
versed his engine and jumped for his
life, crashing through the cab, carrying
the glass and sash with him, and
alighted in a heavy snow drift. He
escaped serious injury, his hurts being
confined TO slight wound upon his
knee. AS he realized the danger. he
called to his fireman, William Fred
ericks, to save himself. The latter was
engaged in stocking the fire, and raised
up and hesitated a moment to glance
forward, as if to estimate the danger.
This was fatal, as at that moment, the
crash came and poor 81
FREDERIcKs WAS PINNED AND CRUSHED
by mass of wreck. The effect of the
collision can be better imagined than
described. The engines of the two
trains reared into the air like pair of
living monsters, and then settled down
upon the track, driving into each other
uutil the cylinders touched. The force
OF the impact jammed the baggage cars
| into the tenders of the fast train, the
express car into the3 baggage and the
smoker into the express. In less than
five minutes from the moment of the
collision, and before any organized eff
fort at rescue could be made, lire from
the overturned stoves communicated
to the woodwork and the flames leaped
high IN the air, their roar mingling
with the cries of anguish of the inn
prisoned victims, to whom death
in its most terrible form was
present. The train men and uninjured
passengers were powerless and could do
nothing to rescue the sufferers. The ex-
press train was in charge OF Conductor
Sam Haskell, Engineer Lem Eastman
and Fireman VIM. Frederick, and con-
sisted of engine No. 726, a mail and
baggage Car express. smoker, coach,
and two sleepers. The freight train
was in charge OF Conductor Fletcher,
Engineer Killer, and Fireman W. j.
Cullison, and consisted of engine No.
rs and sixteen loaded and few empty
gondolas. The smoker contained from
twelve to fifteen passengers, some of
whom were immigrants. Three men
escaped alive, but their names were not
4C6IucOs DdSSdSOlAooOS1 W. IL OoNCo
of Newark, was the only man in his
car. and he was hurt in both legs, the
leftle being cut in several places, and
a splinter of rod had been run into
his right foot G. P. Bradley, of Wash
ington, D. c., was found hanging from
the window of the smoker, but his legs
were fast and he could not be removed.
There he remained until
he WAS BURNED TO DEATH #L
and his charred remains fell to the
ground a black and shapeless mass.
He was conscious and gave his address
to the bystanders, and also said that he
was an officer of the Knights of Labor
organization. He gave his watch
and other valuables he could get
from his pockets to Conductor
Fletcher, of the freight train. Joseph
Postlethwaite, aged 81; his sons
Spencer, aged Is, and Henry aged IL,
were sitting in the same seat in the
smoker and their charred remains
were found in the ruins of the cars.
Postlethwa;ts, his wife, two boys. q I
year-old girl by the former wife, q
little boy of and baby girl OF 2 years,
had sold their farm of one hundred
acres in WetzeH County, West Virginia,
and uara moving To IIhilIicOthe Mo-.